Small SOLDIERs
by LarcSakurai
Summary: Implied Seph/Zack. The Lifestream certainly works in odd ways, especially when it turns three SOLDIER boys into children! Inspired by a friend


Tifa screamed, "OH MY GOD!"

"FOOL! WHA'D YOU DO!?" Barett couldn't believe his eyes.

Vincent just shook his bushy hair, "... the Lifestream works in interesting ways."

Before the gathered group sat three children, wide glowing green mako eyes staring up beneath depths of black, silver, and blonde hair. Here the members of AVALANCHE stood in the ruins of Mideel gaping down at the miniature forms of their friends and greatest enemy. Cloud had insisted on going down to investigate a recent rumor that the concentration of Lifestream had been spewing out violent creatures but an even more obscure rumor spoke of the dead being spat out when the mysterious river receeded with the ocean tides. The spiky haired man had ventured too close to the substance and became engulfed in a white light rendering everyone unconsious. When the gathered awoke they came upon the sight of the three strange children, fighting utter disbelief and an uncontrollable urge to hug them all.

"What the hell happened to me?!" Cloud shrieked, realizing his sword was now almost six times his size. The three were easily no older than five or perhaps six.

"You!?" Sephiroth howled, trying in vain to lift up the immense masamune even he could no longer wield in his minute state. Tifa couldn't help but snicker as she drew closer to the dangerous child, poking his hand with a stick. The small SOLDIER rose it to strike the amused girl, his wrist quickly seized to end his reign of childish violence.

"Seph be nice!" Zack pleaded, wrenching the stick from his hand. "Or you don't get any tonight!"

"Like you could give me any like this!" the silver haired boy crossed his arms over his chest in a pout. He gave a surprised yelp when a heavy thing blanked out the sun, clawing at the material of Vincent's deep red cloak. When he freed himself he sulked off to the side and glared venomous daggers at the assembled adults.

Cloud looked up at his companions desperately for any kind of help. He had no idea what to do and he knew they looked to him to lead. They had handled fine when he was sick with mako poisoning but that was a clear choice of options. That was nothing compared to this. Now they had nothing to go on but a string of rumors that he hadn't believed up until waking to find himself fifteen years younger. He wasn't too keen on not being able to carry his sword either and if Tifa handed him a stick it would take more than Zack to keep him from beating her senseless with it.

"Well," Tifa eyed the situation carefully. By now Zack had taken full advantage of his new body and had tackled Cloud to the ground, the two boys rolling around in a cloud of dust whilst Sephiroth watched them with an expression somewhere between befuddlement and disgust.

"Gotta change 'em back somehow." Cid tapped his foot as he pondered a possible solution. "A group of us could go look while someone watches the terrors."

"Yuffie and I will watch them. Cid, you take the others to go look."

"What?!" Yuffie backed away from a now maliciously smirking Sephiroth child. "He's gonna eat me!"

Tifa rolled her eyes, "See you all in a bit!"

No sooner did the Highwind lift into the sky and soar off did all hell break loose. Sephiroth, to the girls' surprise, turned out to be the quietest of the trio. He would sit by his gigantic sword and watch Zack and Cloud run about and shoot each other with invisible guns or tackle each other into the dirt and wrestle. A small pang of sympathy shook Tifa's heart. She couldn't imagine the boy had much of a childhood. He probably didn't have the slightest inclination of what it meant to be a kid.

"Why don't you go play?" Tifa nudged Sephiroth but he refused to be moved. He looked up at Tifa with wide, lost eyes as if this was some sort of foreign concept to him.

"Yeah, c'mon Seph!" Zack ran over and took him by the hand. "You can come play with me and Cloud!"

A light flush lit the boy's pale cheeks, "okay.." he allowed himself to be tugged away and it wasn't much longer before the two spiky haired children had their counterpart running alongside them.

"Lotta work babysitting these brats." Yuffie whined as they swirled in a fever around her chasing after each other, Cloud clinging onto leg and then bolting away. Yuffie's hand clapped to her pocket, suddenly noticing herself short a few shuriken.

"Looking for these?" the three boys held up the stolen artifacts proudly, bolting in three seperate directions through the ruins.

"Ohh, you little brats! I'm gonna strangle all three of you!"

Tifa just shook her head, giving a soft chuckle. "Children..." She looked up as the roar of the Highwind rattled the trees overhead, Vincent dropping down. A soft light of amusement lit the crimson depths as he watched the three demon children hassling Yuffie, the ninja rubbing in vain after one child while the toher two snuck up behind her and prodded her with the stolen stars before scattering off again. She had no chance against two and a half SOLDIERs.

"We found this potion." Vincent handed it down to Tifa. "This should bring them back to normal."

"Okay you guys!" Tifa whistled to get their attention. "I think we found a cure." The stars clattered to the ground and all three children appeared at her feet almost instantly.

"You sure this is going to work?" Cloud asked cautiously.

"No." Tifa replied, "but it's all we got to go on." she handed it to Zack first.

"Well, here goes nothing." he took a sip of the potion and passed it down the line until all three sample the strange, glowing mixture. White light engulfed the three tiny bodies, lifting them up off their feet to hover suspended as the radiance grew until they were swallowed by it. By now everyone had congregated and watched the spectacle before them.

"OW!" Cloud hit the ground first, relief washing over him as he found himself back to his normal height. Two thumps later all three men were on their feet.

"You guys are back to normal now, right?" Tifa asked, a light flush lighting her face as Sephiroth grabbed Zack by the spikes and crushed the smaller body against him, ducking back behind a pillar where a string of incomprehensible noises soon followed.

"Oh yeah." Cloud shook his head, "We're back to normal alright..."


End file.
